Convertible vehicle tops or vehicle tops that fold back have been used in the automotive vehicle industry for years. The attraction of convertible tops is that they may be raised to cover a passenger compartment of the vehicle during inclement weather and folded down to expose the passenger compartment to an open air environment during periods of fair weather. When folded down, the convertible top is stored in an area behind the back seat and in front of the trunk of the vehicle.
Conventional unitized vehicle bodies use steel stampings for the unibody structure necessary to carry the convertible componentry and form the convertible storage area. The convertible componentry includes the cover as well as various hydraulic and electronic equipment necessary to actuate the cover. One problem with unitized bodies having convertible tops is that the components must be added to the vehicle on the assembly line. The components and their resulting assemblies, therefore, must be tested on the assembly line, which can slow the manufacturing process if the componentry or assemblies should fail. Furthermore, the steel stampings for the unibody structure are necessary to carry the convertible componentry and structurally reinforce the unibody in order to provide vehicle torsional rigidity, thereby adding to overall vehicle cost.
Modular vehicle bodies have been introduced to address the problem of manufacturing slow down resulting from the failure of components added to unitized bodies on the assembly line. Modular vehicle bodies have the advantage of being independent body structures that have componentry added thereto and tested prior to assembly line installation.
What is desired then is a convertible rear structure that allows for assembly of the convertible top componentry to the rear structure, facilitates testing of the assembled componentry prior to joining the structure to the vehicle body and adds torsional rigidity to the vehicle body.